I was 18, near the end of my senior year in high school. I had discovered SF and fantasy nearly two years before. When browsing through some of my dad's paperbacks, I found he had the first legitimate American printing of the trilogy, plus The Hobbit. He said he hadn't liked them very much, so I grabbed them. I confused Sauron and Sauruman the first time, but I guess many people did. I particularly remember reading about Mordor while on a bus in New Jersey, watching the huge LNG tanks in the marshes - some images always stick with you.

Favorite Tolkien character:

It's always been a tie between Frodo and Eowyn. Both are persistent, brave and people tend to look down on them. They have to prove themselves (Frodo, many times).